Sharon Kay Penman





Samantha
957 books | 198 friends

M.J. Webb
109 books | 758 friends

Susan
1,118 books | 53 friends

Misfit
2,870 books | 270 friends

Susanna
2,109 books | 375 friends

Ddelmoni
1,101 books | 29 friends

Victori...
464 books | 127 friends

Leslie
3,087 books | 117 friends

More friends…

Sharon is following 0 people

Sharon Kay Penman

Goodreads author profile


url

born
in New York, The United States
gender
female

website

genre

member since
July 2009


About this author

Penman received her bachelor's degree from the University of Texas at Austin, she majored in history, and also received a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from Rutgers University School of Law, and later worked as a tax lawyer. Penman suffered from an eighteen month bout with mononucleosis.

The Sunne in Splendour, a novel about Richard III of England is one of the most popular books on the Historical Novel Society's list of best historical novels. In 1996, following the success of When Christ and His Saints Slept (which dealt with the Anarchy and the early career of King Henry II of England), Penman ventured into the historical whodunnit with four mysteries set in the court of Eleanor of Aquitaine during the reign of Richard I. The mysteries did n...more


May 22nd was a busy day in history. Unfortunately I am also busy right now at Chalus with the Lionheart, so I can’t spare the time to do justice to these events. Richard reminded me that a dying king trumps a Facebook post. So very briefly, here is what happened on this date.
May 22, 1149, Henry Fitz Empress was knighted by his uncle, the King of Scotland, at the age of sixteen. When he kept de... Read more of this blog post »
0 comments
Twitter_icon  ·   • 
Published on May 22, 2013 05:40 • 23 views
Average rating: 4.25 · 44,550 ratings · 3,021 reviews · 12 distinct works · Similar authors
Here be Dragons (Welsh Prin...
4.31 of 5 stars 4.31 avg rating — 8,955 ratings — published 1985
The Sunne in Splendour
4.39 of 5 stars 4.39 avg rating — 8,623 ratings — published 1982 — 15 editions
When Christ and His Saints ...
4.26 of 5 stars 4.26 avg rating — 5,556 ratings — published 1994 — 11 editions
Falls the Shadow  (Welsh Pr...
4.34 of 5 stars 4.34 avg rating — 3,919 ratings — published 1988 — 10 editions
The Reckoning  (Welsh Princ...
4.41 of 5 stars 4.41 avg rating — 3,590 ratings — published 1991 — 7 editions
Time and Chance (Henry II &...
4.24 of 5 stars 4.24 avg rating — 3,168 ratings — published 2002 — 10 editions
Devil's Brood  (Henry II & ...
4.32 of 5 stars 4.32 avg rating — 2,526 ratings — published 2008 — 12 editions
The Queen's Man (Justin de ...
3.82 of 5 stars 3.82 avg rating — 2,826 ratings — published 1996 — 12 editions
Lionheart
4.05 of 5 stars 4.05 avg rating — 1,724 ratings — published 2011 — 10 editions
Cruel as the Grave  (Justin...
3.82 of 5 stars 3.82 avg rating — 1,504 ratings — published 1998 — 8 editions
More books by Sharon Kay Penman…
Here be Dragons Falls the Shadow The Reckoning
Welsh Princes (3 books)
by
4.33896553819972 of 5 stars 4.34 avg rating — 16,453 ratings
When Christ and His Saints ... Time and Chance Devil's Brood Lionheart
Plantagenets (4 books)
by
4.23820172732881 of 5 stars 4.24 avg rating — 12,968 ratings
When Christ and His Saints ... Time and Chance Devil's Brood
Henry II & Eleanor of Aquitaine (3 books)
by
4.26776345042241 of 5 stars 4.27 avg rating — 11,245 ratings
The Queen's Man Cruel as the Grave Dragon's Lair Prince of Darkness
Justin de Quincy (4 books)
by
3.8634222919937207 of 5 stars 3.86 avg rating — 6,370 ratings

Upcoming Events

No scheduled events. Add an event.

Sharon's Recent Updates

Sharon Kay Penman wrote a new blog post
May 22nd was a busy day in history. Unfortunately I am also busy right now at Chalus with the Lionheart, so I can’t spare the time to do justice to... Read more of this blog post »
"What is the Never Ending Quiz, Loretta?"
"Not one of mine, either, Loretta. But then, aside from Elizabeth, whose neurotic brilliance fascinates me, they were not a likable lot, those Tudors."
"It was not fun to write, either, Chrissy. This was the first time I'd ever had to kill off a favorite character--though I'd certainly get lots of prac...more "
"I agree, Nicole. The green fire lighting up the night was beyond spectacular!"
"Thanks, Steven. I love the chronicles, for they open a window to the past. I just have to remember that they could make mistakes, too, for sometimes t...more "
Sharon Penman added Goodreads to her Facebook Timeline
Goodreads for Timeline
Add your books to Timeline!
learn more
Sharon Penman voted for Death of Kings in Best Historical Fiction in the Opening Round of the 2012 Goodreads Choice Awards.
Death of Kings by Bernard Cornwell
2012 Goodreads Choice Awards logo
22454
I Am Spartacus! by Kirk Douglas
I just loved this book. Spartacus is one of my very favorite films, and it was fascinating to read the behind-the-scenes account of how it was made. With an all-star cast, there were a lot of healthy egos involved and Douglas has some funny stories a...more
More of Sharon's books…
“I inhale hope with every breath I take.”
Sharon Kay Penman, When Christ and His Saints Slept

“...A scar signifies past pain, a wound that did not heal as it ought. But it testifies, too, to survival...(Here be Dragons)”
Sharon Kay Penman

“We tend to forget at times that it is the little ones, the children, who do suffer the greatest hurt. If we cannot comprehend why certain sorrows are visited upon us, how on earth can they?”
Sharon Kay Penman, The Sunne in Splendour

Polls

More...

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics posts views last activity  
European Royalty: Here Be Dragons: Mar 15 - Apr 15 9 43 Mar 10, 2009 06:55pm  
European Royalty: Jun 1 - Jul 1: When Christ and His Saints Slept 15 47 Jun 18, 2009 03:10am  
Historical Fictio...: * The Idiot's Guide to the Ultimate Reading List: Chapter 1, Historical Fiction 5 1538 Aug 03, 2009 08:14pm  
The Next Best Boo...: OFFICIAL SUMMER CHALLENGE 2009 6756 10250 Aug 31, 2009 10:23pm  
The Seasonal Read...: Geography Lessons 98 343 Oct 10, 2009 07:10pm  
European Royalty: Historical Fictions Recs - 14th Century? 14 144 Nov 01, 2009 07:56am  
Chicks On Lit: Historical Fiction 57 196 Dec 12, 2009 11:11am  
The Next Best Boo...: Tani's Goals for 2009 24 256 Jan 01, 2010 03:05pm  
European Royalty: Favorites 19 102 Jan 13, 2010 03:39am  
25823 A History of Royals — 767 members — last activity May 21, 2013 08:02am
A place to talk about all royals from every corner of the world and from all moments in history, fiction or non-fiction; real or imaginary. Discuss ev...more
21077 All Things Medieval — 365 members — last activity 19 hours, 34 min ago
where people can talk about anything and everything Medieval from known historical figures to life and times of the period to favorite authors of the...more
12605 Richard III — 239 members — last activity 14 hours, 56 min ago
A group for those goodreads members and Ricardians (or not!) who would like to discuss all things Richard III.
Groups_nophoto-25x33 Q&A with Sharon Kay — 52 members — last activity Oct 14, 2009 08:57am
Hi, everyone. I have just joined Goodreads, which is a way cool website, as my nephew would say. I wanted to spread the word that Devil's Brood,the fi...more
22454 Historical Fictionistas — 4530 members — last activity 4 hours, 25 min ago
Welcome to Historical Fictionistas! We want to experience all different kinds of HF with all different kinds of people. The more diverse, the better....more
13170 The Plantagenets — 269 members — last activity May 01, 2013 01:53pm
This is a group for those who enjoy reading nonfiction and fiction about one of England's most fascinating dynasties. Discuss the Plantagenet kings, t...more
2196 European Royalty — 1283 members — last activity May 21, 2013 04:37pm
This is a group for anyone who enjoys fiction and non-fiction books about European royalty and history in general. We have a wide variety of discussio...more
25350 THE JAMES MASON COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB — 7092 members — last activity 1 hour, 38 min ago
ALL GENRE COMMUNITY OF BOOK LOVERS-Perfect for those interested in good books of any genre, film and lively discussion!-(300 PLUS DISCUSSION TOPICS)fr...more
More of Sharon’s groups…



Comments (showing 1-8)    post a comment »
dateUp_arrow    newest »

message 8: by Anita

Anita Elder Sharon,
I've wanted to see a movie version of The Sunne in Splendour for a very long time! Here's my suggestions for the cast:
Edward IV - Chris Hemsworth
Richard III - Dominic Cooper
Elizabeth Woodville - Lena Headey
Warwick - Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
Cecily Neville - Helen Mirren
Margaret of Anjou - Fanny Ardant


message 7: by Anita

Anita Elder Hi Sharon. We've exchanged email several times in the past. Looking forward to reading you newest book (after I finish The Sunne in Splendour for the third time...my all-time favorite book!).


Sharon Penman Kimberly wrote: "Thank you for adding me Sharon!"

HI, Kimberly. I spend more time on Facebook because I have never figured out how to navigate Goodreads. So if you're on Facebook, too, do friend me. Sharon


Sharon Penman Brenna wrote: "Sharon, I just finished Watermark by Vanitha Sankaran. Bloody Brillant!! Thank you for the recommendation!"

I'm glad you liked it, Brenna. It grabbed me from that first amazing birth scene. Sharon


Brenna Sharon, I just finished Watermark by Vanitha Sankaran. Bloody Brillant!! Thank you for the recommendation!


message 3: by Isis (last edited Aug 13, 2011 01:03pm)

Isis Happy Birthday, Sharon! Hope you've been having a good one.

(It's Beth, by the way, I've been tinkering with my profile today.)


Sara W Thank you so much for the friend request! I absolutely LOVE your books (as does everyone else in the European Royalty group)!


Rosemary Sharon, thanks so much for contacting me. We share UT Austin as well as a love of historical fiction. Your books sound wonderful!


back to top